Increased vacuum port area for achieving faster vacuum evacuation time in vacuum insulated structures

ABSTRACT

An outer wrapper that defines a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and first and second side walls and includes an inner liner. A trim breaker seals the outer wrapper to the inner liner to define an insulation space. A single vacuum port is disposed on each of the top wall, the bottom wall, and the first and second side walls. A plurality of vacuum ports is disposed on the rear wall. An insulative material is disposed between the outer wrapper and the inner liner. A filter media is disposed proximate each vacuum port such that air can be drawn from the insulation space past the filter media and through each vacuum port.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present device generally relates to a vacuum insulated structure,and more specifically, to an increased vacuum port area for achievingfaster vacuum evacuation time in vacuum insulated structures.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Increasing the insulative qualities of appliances, and particularlyrefrigerating appliances, is helpful to provide efficient, qualityproducts for consumer use. In addition, manufacturing appliances withspeed and efficiency is lowers energy consumption and speed to market.Processes to achieve these qualities are useful.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, an appliance includes an outer wrapper that defines a topwall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and first and second side walls andincludes an inner liner. A trim breaker seals the outer wrapper to theinner liner to define an insulation space. A single vacuum port isdisposed on each of the top wall, the bottom wall, and the first andsecond side walls. A plurality of vacuum ports is disposed on the rearwall. An insulative material is disposed between the outer wrapper andthe inner liner. A filter media is disposed proximate each vacuum portsuch that air can be drawn from the insulation space past the filtermedia and through each vacuum port.

In another aspect, an appliance includes an outer wrapper that defines atop wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and first and second side walls.An inner liner is sealed to the outer wrapper to define an insulationspace. A vacuum port is disposed on each of the top wall, the bottomwall, the rear wall, and the first and second side walls. An insulativematerial is disposed between the outer wrapper and the inner liner. Afilter media is disposed proximate each vacuum port such that air can bedrawn from the insulation space past the filter media and through eachvacuum port to maintain a negative pressure in the insulation space.

In yet another aspect, a method of making an appliance includes formingan outer wrapper defining a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, andfirst and second side walls. An inner liner is formed. The outer wrapperis sealed to the inner liner to define an insulation space. A vacuumport is formed in each of the top wall, the bottom wall, the rear wall,and the first and second side walls. An insulative material is insertedbetween the outer wrapper and the inner liner. A filter media ispositioned proximate each vacuum port such that air can be drawn fromthe insulation space past the filter media and through each vacuum port.

These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present devicewill be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the artupon studying the following specification, claims, and appendeddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of an appliance ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 1A is a front elevational view of the appliance of FIG. 1 withfirst and second doors of the appliance in an open position;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a rear portion of an appliance ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a bottom perspective view of the appliance of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2B is a partial perspective cross-sectional view of a vacuum porton an appliance of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of another appliance of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3A is a rear elevational view of the appliance of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3B is a bottom plan view of the appliance of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3C is a partial perspective cross-sectional view of a channel on anappliance of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of an appliance of the presentdisclosure that includes vacuum channels;

FIG. 4A is a partial perspective cross-sectional view of an insulationspace of an appliance of the present disclosure with a channel extendingtherethrough;

FIG. 5 is a front top perspective view of another appliance of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the appliance of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the appliance of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the appliance of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the appliance of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a rear top perspective view of another appliance of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a top partial elevational cross-sectional view of a portionof the insulation space of an appliance of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11A is a partial elevational view of a filter tube for use with anappliance of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a partial elevational cross-sectional view of a portion of anappliance of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a partial side elevational view of a vacuum port of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of a vacuum port panel of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 15 is a top plan cross-sectional view of vacuum ports extendingthrough a panel of an appliance of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

It is to be understood that the specific devices and processesillustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the followingspecification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive conceptsdefined in the appended claims. Hence, other physical characteristicsrelating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered aslimiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations ofmethod steps and apparatus components related to a vacuum insulatedstructure. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps havebeen represented, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in thedrawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent tounderstanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not toobscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the descriptionherein. Further, like numerals in the description and drawings representlike elements.

For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivativesthereof shall relate to the disclosure as oriented in FIG. 1. Unlessstated otherwise, the term “front” shall refer to the surface of thedevice closer to an intended viewer of the device, and the term “rear”shall refer to the surface of the device further from the intendedviewer of the device. However, it is to be understood that thedisclosure may assume various alternative orientations, except whereexpressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood thatthe specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings,and described in the following specification are simply exemplaryembodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims.Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relatingto the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered aslimiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

The terms “including,” “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variationthereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that aprocess, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elementsdoes not include only those elements but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, orapparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises a . . . ” does not,without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identicalelements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprisesthe element.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-15, reference numeral 10 generally designatesan appliance having an outer wrapper 12 that defines a top wall 14, abottom wall 16, a rear wall 18, and first and second side walls 20, 22and includes an inner liner 24. A trim breaker 26 seals the outerwrapper 12 to the inner liner 24 to define an insulation space 30. Asingle vacuum port 32 is disposed on each of the top wall 14, the bottomwall 16, and the first and second side walls 20, 22. A plurality ofvacuum ports 32 is disposed on the rear wall 18. An insulative material34 is disposed between the outer wrapper 12 and the inner liner 24. Afilter media 40 is disposed proximate each vacuum port 32 such that aircan be drawn from the insulation space 30 past the filter media 40 andthrough each vacuum port 32.

With reference again to FIG. 1, the illustrated appliance 10 is arefrigerator assembly that includes French doors 50, 52 that arepivotally coupled with a refrigerator compartment 54 and operablebetween open and closed positions. The refrigerator assembly alsoincludes a lower pull out drawer 56 that defines a freezer compartment58. It will generally be understood that the features, as set forthherein, could be applied to any appliance having any generalconfiguration. Further, the door configuration of the appliance 10 canvary from that shown in FIG. 1. The doors 50, 52, as illustrated in FIG.1, include handles 60 configured to allow a user to move the doors 50,52 between open and closed positions. The refrigerator compartment 54and the freezer compartment 58 include shelving 62, as shown in FIG. 1A,that can be adjusted and moved, depending on consumer preference. Theouter wrapper 12 of the appliance 10 is generally formed from a metalmaterial, which may be steel, aluminum, etc. The inner liner 24 is alsoconstructed from a metal material, which may be steel, aluminum, etc.However, sealed plastics, or other materials that can maintain anairtight seal, could also be used in conjunction with the systems, asset forth herein.

With reference now to FIG. 2, the illustrated embodiment includes aplurality of vacuum ports 32 that are spaced at predetermined positionsto draw a sufficient amount of vacuum from areas of the insulation space30. As a result of the additional vacuum ports 32, the total vacuum timeto place the insulative material 34 in a vacuum state and draw fluid (inthe form of air) from the insulation space 30 is lessened. Consequently,refrigerator assemblies can be constructed at a faster rate and with agreater degree of negative pressure between the inner liner 24 and theouter wrapper 12. Each of the ports 32 include a valve system 70configured to prevent air from entering the insulation space 30 afterthe vacuum process has been completed. In the illustrated embodiment ofFIGS. 2 and 2A, a vacuum port 32 is disposed on each of the top wall 14,the bottom wall 16, the rear wall 18, and the first and second sidewalls 20, 22. However, it will be noted that more vacuum ports 32 couldbe disposed on any of the top wall 14, the bottom wall 16, the rear wall18, and the first and second side walls 20, 22 to increase the speed inwhich a negative pressure is obtained within the insulation space 30.

In some instances, the vacuum ports 32 may be removed from certain wallsof the appliance 10. For example, in the event the appliance 10 willhave exposed first and second side walls 20, 22 that are readilyviewable by the consumer, the vacuum ports 32 may be omitted from thefirst and second side walls 20, 22. In this instance, additional vacuumports 32 may be disposed on first and second sides of the top wall 14proximate the first and second side walls 20, 22 or on first and secondsides of the bottom wall 16 in close proximity to the first and secondside walls 20, 22. In addition, more vacuum ports 32 on the rear wall 18may also be positioned on the outer wrapper 12 to compensate for theloss of a vacuum port 32 of each of the first and second side walls 20,22. The valves that make up the vacuum ports 32 are configured toattached with a vacuum hose 80 (FIG. 13) and may include ball valves,butterfly valves, check valves, choke valves, diaphragm valves, gatevalves, globe valves, poppet valves, etc. A simple crimping solution oran end cap can also be used to close the vacuum hose 80. It will beunderstood that any kind and any number of valves may be used and thatthis disclosure is not limited by any of the valve systems noted above.

It will be understood that the inner liner 24 and the outer wrapper 12are connected at the trim breaker 26 generally disposed proximate theopening of the appliance 10. The trim breaker 26 is sealed and airtightsuch that air can neither escape nor enter into the insulation space 30between the outer wrapper 12 and the inner liner 24 at the trim breaker26. In addition, it will be understood that the insulative material 34is disposed throughout the appliance 10 in the insulation space 30.During assembly of the appliance 10, the insulative material 34 ispoured, or otherwise blown into, the insulation space 30 before theinsulation space 30 is sealed airtight. In addition, it will be notedthat, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 2A, the filter media 40 is disposedbetween the vacuum port 32 and the insulative material 34. The filtermedia 40 acts to prevent insulative material 34 from being drawn throughthe vacuum port 32 when a negative pressure is placed on the insulationspace 30. Accordingly, the insulative material 34 is maintained in theinsulation space 30 between the outer wrapper 12 and the inner liner 24as air is drawn from the insulation space 30 by an external vacuum pump.The filter media 40 may have a variety of constructions and may beconstructed from sintered metal, plastic, etc. The filter media 40, orportions of the filter media 40, may also be constructed from afiberglass based filter media. Regardless of the filter media materialchoice, the pores of the filter media 40, and specifically, the size ofthe pores, will be dictated by the size of the granules, fibers, orstrands that make up the insulative material 34 disposed in theinsulation space 30. The pores of the filter media 40 will be smallerthan the fibers, strands, or granules of the insulative material 34.Accordingly, air can be drawn from the insulation space 30 withoutremoving the insulative material 34 after the insulative material 34 isinstalled between the inner liner 24 and the outer wrapper 12.

With reference now to FIGS. 3-3C, the illustrated appliance 100 includesa plurality of channels 102 that are in fluid communication with eachvacuum port 32. The channels 102 are disposed on each of the rear wall18 and the bottom wall 16. The channels 102 are configured to extend todistal corners 104 of the rear wall 18 and distal corners 106 of thebottom wall 16. Accordingly, when the insulation space 30 is beingvacuumed at the vacuum port 32, air is drawn through the channels 102from the insulation space 30 and out the vacuum port 32. In thisinstance, the filter media 40 is elongate and disposed along each of thechannels 102 to prevent the insulative material 34 from entering intothe channel 102 and being withdrawn from the vacuum port 32. Byincreasing the overall vacuum space on the back wall and the bottom wall16 of the appliance 10, the time to place the insulation space 30 undera suitable negative pressure is lessened.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the filter media 40 may include a relativelyelongate, planar filter screen formed from a sintered metal, porousplastic, or fiberglass material that extends along the entire length ofeach channel 102. In this instance, the channel 102 is defined from aprotruding outer casing 110 that protrudes from a planar extent of therear wall 18 and the bottom wall 16. The casing 110 may be integrallyformed with a wall of the appliance 10, or may be sealingly coupled witha wall of the appliance 10 via welding, adhesives, mechanical gaskets,etc. The casing 110 may include an arcuate cross-section, as shown, orhave a square, triangular, etc. cross-section. The channel 102 draws airthrough the filter media 40 of the planar filter screen, whilemaintaining the insulative material 34 within the insulation space 30.It will be understood that the filter media 40 may be any of a number ofvariety of shapes and does not necessarily need to be flat.

With reference now to FIGS. 4 and 4A, the appliance 100 is shown withthe channels 102 formed within the insulation space 30. The filter media40 for this assembly includes an elongate filter screen having a curvedcross-section. In this instance, the planar extent of the rear wall 18and/or the bottom wall 16 forms a first portion of the channel 102. Thefilter media 40 in the form of the elongate filter screen forms a secondportion of the channel 102. Also, it will be understood that thechannels 102, although shown in a linear configuration, may also have acurved shape or a circular shape that extends about the bottom wall 16and the rear wall 18. The channels 102 could also include multiplebranches that extend at any angle from the channels 102. Moreover, itwill be understood that the channels may be disposed on any of the wallsof the appliance 10 and are not limited to the rear wall 18 and thebottom wall 16. However, in the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 3-4A,the channels 102 are disposed on the back wall and the bottom wall 16 asthese are typically portions of the appliance 10 that are not exposed tothe consumer. Accordingly, the first and second side walls 20, 22 can beexposed with no apparent additional structure that relates to thevacuuming process disposed thereon.

With reference now to FIGS. 5-9, the illustrated appliance 10 includesthe channel 102 extending in a loop configuration. Specifically, thechannel includes one vacuum port 32, which, in this instance is disposedon the bottom wall 16 of the appliance 10. The channel 102 extends aboutthe bottom wall 16, the first side wall 20, the top wall 14, the secondside wall 22, and back to the bottom wall 16, before returning to thesecond side wall 22, the top wall 14, and the first side wall 20 andback to the bottom wall 16. In this instance, negative pressure isobtained within the insulation space 30 when the vacuum port 32 isoperably coupled with the external vacuum system. Air is then drawnthrough the channel 102, which extends through each of the four wallsbetween the outer wrapper 12 and the inner liner 24 until a suitablenegative pressure has been reached. It will be understood that the loopconfiguration for drawing air from the appliance 10 is not limited tothe configuration shown. For example, another looped channel couldextend about the back wall and could be operably coupled with the loopshown in FIGS. 5-9, or could be a separate loop with a separate vacuumport 32, which may depend on the needed speed and negative pressure thatis desirable for the insulation space 30 of the appliance 10. It will beunderstood that the channels 102 of the appliance 10 may protrude fromone or more of the walls, as shown in FIG. 3C, or may be formed withinthe insulative material 34 in the insulation space 30 of the appliance10.

With reference now to FIGS. 10-15, an appliance 200 is illustratedhaving channels 202 are again applied to the insulation space 30 betweenthe inner liner 24 and the outer wrapper 12. However, in this instance,the channels 202 extends along edges 204 and vertices 206 of adjacentand joined walls of the outer wrapper 12. For example, one channel 202is looped about a periphery of the second side wall 22, starting at theedge 204 defined by the second side wall 22 and the bottom wall 16,extending upward at the edge 204 defined by the front of the second sidewall 22, the edge 204 defined between the second side wall 22 and thetop wall 14, the edge 204 defined between the second side wall 22 andthe rear wall 18, and back to the second side wall 22 and the bottomwall 16. This looped channel 102 is in fluid communication with a loopedchannel 102 extending about the periphery of the rear wall 18 and thevacuum port 32. The looped channel 102 extending about the periphery ofthe rear wall 18 starts at the edge 204 defined between the second sidewall 22 and the rear wall 18, the edge 204 extending between the topwall 14 and the rear wall 18, the edge 204 extending between the firstside wall 20 and the rear wall 18, and returning to the vacuum port 32by way of the edge 204 extending between the bottom wall 16 and the rearwall 18.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 11A, for the filter media 40, it is generallycontemplated that a permeable filter tube 210 having a multitude ofperforations 212 may be disposed along the edges 204 of joined walls,with the permeable filter tube 210 being in fluid communication with thevacuum port 32. The permeable filter tube 210 extends along multipleedges 204 and vertices 206 before terminating at the vacuum port 32. Thepermeable filter tube 210 may be coupled with an interior surface 214 ofone or more of the walls 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 of the outer wrapper 12. Thepermeable filter tube 210 may be constructed from a sintered metal,porous plastic, or fiberglass material, for example, that allows air tobe withdrawn from the insulation space 30 without removing theinsulative material 34. Other air permeable structures may also be usedto filter air from the insulation space 30 without removing theinsulative material 34.

With reference now to FIG. 12, it is also generally contemplated thatthe channel 202 may be formed in an edge space 220 defined between theedge 204 of the appliance 10 and the filter media 40 that prevents theinsulative material 34 from entering into the channel 202. In thisinstance, the channels 202 extend along the edge spaces 220 andeventually terminate at the vacuum port 32 located at a bottom of therear wall 18. In the illustrated of FIG. 12, the filter media 40 iscurvilinear outward (convex) and prevents the insulative material 34from entering into the channel 202. However, it will be understood thatthe filter media 40 may be flat, or may be concave inward toward theinsulative material 34. The structure of the channels 202 may dependupon the needed construction time determined for a particular appliance.

With reference now to FIGS. 13-15, in the illustrated embodiment, thevacuum ports 32 are in fluid communication with the channels 202 and mayinclude a vacuum port panel 230 having apertures 232 for receiving andsecuring the vacuum ports 32. that places all of the vacuum ports 32 inclose proximity. As shown in FIG. 13, the vacuum port 32 includes avalve that is configured to allow air to escape from the vacuum port 32,but not enter into the vacuum port 32 from the environment. As thechannels 202 enter into the insulation space 30, the channels 202 extendin a variety of directions generally directed at distal vertices of theappliance 10. Consequently, a strong vacuum can be placed on thechannels 202 and a negative pressure of the appliance 10, andspecifically, the insulation space 30 of the appliance 10, can bemaintained in a minimal amount of time. Accordingly, production, productquality, and energy efficiency in both making and using the appliance 10can be increased.

For each of the embodiments set forth herein, the filter media 40 mayinclude any of a variety of materials, including sintered material(metal, stainless steel, steel, alloys, aluminum, stone, ceramic, etc.),porous plastic, permeable fiberglass, etc. The filter media 40 will beunderstood to maintain structural integrity even under high vacuumenvironments with high negative pressure values. Consequently, theinsulative material 34 is kept in the insulation space 30 and highthermal efficiency can be obtained.

It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art thatconstruction of the described disclosure and other components is notlimited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety ofmaterials, unless described otherwise herein.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its form,couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of twocomponents (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to oneanother. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature.Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical ormechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrallyformed as a single unitary body with one another or with the twocomponents. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removableor releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.

It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement ofthe elements of the disclosure as shown in the exemplary embodiments isillustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the presentinnovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, thoseskilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciatethat many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes,dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements,values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example,elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple partsor elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, theoperation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, thelength or width of the structures and/or members or connector or otherelements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustmentpositions provided between the elements may be varied. It should benoted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may beconstructed from any of a wide variety of materials that providesufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors,textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present innovations.Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be madein the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired andother exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of thepresent innovations.

It will be understood that any described processes or steps withindescribed processes may be combined with other disclosed processes orsteps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. Theexemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrativepurposes and are not to be construed as limiting.

It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can bemade on the aforementioned structures and methods without departing fromthe concepts of the present disclosure, and further it is to beunderstood that such concepts are intended to be covered by thefollowing claims unless these claims by their language expressly stateotherwise.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. An appliance comprising: an outer wrapper defininga top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and first and second side walls;an inner liner; a trim breaker sealing the outer wrapper to the innerliner to define an insulation space; a single vacuum port disposed oneach of the top wall, the bottom wall, and the first and second sidewalls; a plurality of vacuum ports disposed on the rear wall; aninsulative material disposed between the outer wrapper and the innerliner; and a filter media disposed proximate each of the plurality ofvacuum ports such that air can be drawn from the insulation space pastthe filter media and through each of the plurality of vacuum ports. 22.The appliance of claim 21, wherein at least one of the plurality ofvacuum ports is disposed proximate a corner defined by the outerwrapper.
 23. The appliance of claim 21, wherein the outer wrapper andthe inner liner are formed from a metallic material.
 24. The applianceof claim 21, wherein the filter media is formed from one of a sinteredmetal, a porous plastic, and a fiberglass material.
 25. The appliance ofclaim 21, wherein the rear wall includes a vacuum port disposedproximate each of four corners of the rear wall.
 26. The appliance ofclaim 21, wherein the rear wall includes a vacuum port disposedproximate a central portion of the rear wall.
 27. The appliance of claim21, wherein the inner liner and the outer wrapper form an appliancecabinet having a forward opening, and wherein on at least one of thebottom wall, the top wall, and the first and second side walls, thevacuum port is disposed adjacent the forward opening.
 28. An appliancecomprising: an outer wrapper defining a top wall, a bottom wall, a rearwall, and first and second side walls; an inner liner sealed to theouter wrapper to define an insulation space; a vacuum port disposed oneach of the top wall, the bottom wall, the rear wall, and the first andsecond side walls; an insulative material disposed between the outerwrapper and the inner liner; and a filter media disposed proximate eachof the vacuum ports such that air can be drawn from the insulation spacepast the filter media and through each of the vacuum ports to maintain anegative pressure in the insulation space.
 29. The appliance of claim28, wherein at least one of the vacuum ports is disposed proximate acorner defined by the outer wrapper.
 30. The appliance of claim 28,wherein the outer wrapper and the inner liner are formed from a metallicmaterial.
 31. The appliance of claim 28, wherein the filter media isformed from one of a sintered metal, a porous plastic, and a fiberglassmaterial.
 32. The appliance of claim 28, wherein the rear wall includesa vacuum port disposed proximate each of four corners of the rear wall.33. The appliance of claim 28, wherein the rear wall includes a vacuumport disposed proximate a central portion of the rear wall.
 34. Theappliance of claim 28, wherein the inner liner and the outer wrapperform an appliance cabinet having a forward opening, and wherein on atleast one of the bottom wall, the top wall, and the first and secondside walls, the vacuum port is disposed adjacent the forward opening.35. A method of making an appliance comprising: forming an outer wrapperdefining a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and first and secondside walls; forming an inner liner; sealing the outer wrapper to theinner liner to define an insulation space; forming a vacuum port in eachof the top wall, the bottom wall, the rear wall, and the first andsecond side walls; inserting an insulative material between the outerwrapper and the inner liner; and positioning a filter media proximateeach of the vacuum ports such that air can be drawn from the insulationspace past the filter media and through each of the vacuum ports. 36.The method of claim 35, further comprising: forming at least one of thevacuum ports proximate a corner defined by the outer wrapper.
 37. Themethod of claim 35, further comprising: forming the outer wrapper andthe inner liner from a metallic material.
 38. The method of claim 35,further comprising: forming the filter media from one of a sinteredmetal, a porous plastic, and a fiberglass material.
 39. The method ofclaim 35, further comprising: positioning a vacuum port proximate eachof four corners of the rear wall.
 40. The appliance of claim 39, furthercomprising: forming the rear wall to include a vacuum port proximate acentral portion of the rear wall.